An average middle class apartment, it's populated with decidedly not middle class furniture. A solitary red suede couch occupies the immediate living room, with a battered coffee table and side tables as it's companion. A decent sized TV sits on a cupboard with a stereo, DVD player. The kitchen sports a relic from the 70's, with matching chairs that still seem to be in decent condition. The two bedrooms off the hall are distinguishable from the other, one bearing a gold cross nailed above the door, the other not.

In the corner of the living room is an ornate cage on a bird stand, a blue budgie within it's depths. In another corner is a massive cat tree house, and often occupied by a black cat with a red suede collar. It looks barely lived in, like the owners are not yet investing their effort quite yet to move in.

The knock at her door surprised her. After the call from Richard, and coming home, she's set about to making brownies like promised. She was interrupted by a text message from Liz. A soft sigh later, she was putting her phone back down, heading back to the kitchen when it's followed by a knock on her door. Well, heavens to betsy, she'd never get these done in time to run them down to Lucy's. But regardless, Abigail goes to the door, peeping through the look before she opens it. "Liz. That was… fast" No trace of the hurt that was on Abigails face sunday evening, here at the door.

Elisabeth's look as the door opens is a cross between worry and regret. "I was upstairs," she replies quietly. "Mind if I come in a minute?" she asks. "I owe you relatively major apologies."

She was upstairs. Upstairs, the floor above that is locked down. No one goes up there. Abigail blinks and then steps to the side, to let Liz come in. "Sure, come in. Do you want some water?"

"No… thanks, though." Elisabeth steps inside, closing the door behind her as Abby lets her in. "I'm sorry that I blasted you like that the other day, Abby. Being on edge and scared to death is no excuse for what I said to you. We each have our own secrets to keep and our own contacts to trust…. and you told me you trusted the person you contacted. That should have been enough." She's not beating around the bush here. "I did as you asked and contacted Hiro that same night."

"I've never broken your trust Liz" Abigail points out. "Ever. I got people who say I can't keep a secret. And I can and I do. I'm sitting on so many. That night…' Abby's lips thin. 'I accept your apology Liz"

Elisabeth nods a little bit, her regret and her shame at her own reaction very clear in her face. "Sometimes I wonder if you're sitting on too many." She smiles just a little. "It scares the hell out of me to know that anyone who decides they want to take the whole damn lot of us out just has to realize that you are the key to the whole thing," she comments softly. "And maybe it's why I always freak when I'm the one who sucks you back in. Because I know every time I come to you with something, it's making you a bigger target out there." She shoves a hand through her hair. "I know I hurt you. And I know that even though you forgive it, it'll take a little time to fix. The only thing I can promise is to try to keep a better lid on my own stupid mouth." She grimaces a bit.

Abigail sighs softly before stepping forward and offering her arms up for a hug. "Just.. Just don't do it again. It ry very hard to keep the secrets, I really don't tell them."

Elisabeth wraps her arms around the other — now blue-haired! — blonde and hugs her tight. "I know." She sighs. "And now that I've done the most important bit," she says as she draws away, "I need to ask you about Xiulan and make sure she's still okay?"

"'Xiulan's okay. I won't say where she is, or who she's with, but she's safe. Even I don't know where she is" Well no, Abby does. 1970's. But where in the 1970's she doesn't have a clue. "She's safe, i'd swear it on a stack of bibles Liz"

Elisabeth hesitates and looks at Abby, trusting that the other woman believes it. "Abby….. I swore to Richard that I'd keep her safe." She looks torn beyond belief. "You're sure? He's willing to kill himself for what the two of them know. I don't think I could face him if I failed."

"Liz. I'll swear on a stack of bibles" That surely has to mean something, seeing as it's coming from Abigail. That Liz is questioning that right after she just told her that she'd try to trust Abby better not two minutes ago.

Elisabeth grimaces and says, "Sorry — Bibles." She does get it, she just… yeah. We'll leave it at 'not so trusting right now' once again. And she shoves a hand through her hair. "Shit. I hate this game."

"I know" Abby murmurs. Listen, i promised Richard i'd drop off brownies. Cause you know, being hunted by a mad man, you need some sugar. He said something that.. has me worried. He's lost his hand. I don't think he's in danger of dying from it but…"

The look Elisabeth turns on Abby is both relief and shock. "You've heard from him. He's…. what??" She sucks in a deep breath and says, "Go." It's that simple. The thief knows how to find Elisabeth if he needs her help, and she knows he's trying to keep people safe. That he called Abby at all is a good thing. "Tell him Xiu is as safe as you can make her, okay?" She heads for Abby's door so that the blue-haired one can finish her baking.

"He already knows Liz. Tell Helena that the sooner, whatever she has, that can give me back gods gift can happen, the sooner I can fix Richard. If it's a consolation he said that… Arthur won't be able to find him. He's safe from that"

Elisabeth stops at the door and turns to look at Abby. She nods slowly, keeping her face in cop neutral. "I'll tell her. It's a person. I'll make arrangements as of this very minute. Deckard won't allow himself to be fixed until you are — so I'll expedite it this very second."

"You just gave me the best and worst news of my whole week… My day's going to go okay," Elisabeth says with a small smile. "Tell him to call me when he has time — I have information for him." And then she lets herself out.